The RTI Program: A Research-Based Rationale for Improving Student Outcomes

Question 1: A rationale for the program based on key research showing the effectiveness of RTI programs for improving student outcomes.

Answer: The RTI programs provide high quality interventions that match the needs of the students in the areas of academics, behavior, emotional-social behavior, and general connectedness (Buffum et al., 2011). The program helps assess the student's responsiveness to the matched interventions and the effectiveness of the core instruction. A research-based framework for RTI programs includes components such as screening, data-based decision making, multi-level prevention system, and progress monitoring for students who show no response to core instructions. The components match the educational and behavioral needs of the student, assess the need for changes in instructions, and include additional decisions such as additional tiers. The RTI program is highly effective because it eliminates a situation where the students are waited to fail by helping them within the general education setting. If a problem is indicated from the assessment data, interventions are implemented to address these concerns.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Question 2: An original diagram that shows the levels of RTI and the interventions incorporated in each level. Include an explanation of how you have designed the RTI program to make the education experience more effective for students and teachers.

Answer: If the students are not successful in general education in the classroom, this RTI model will help them progress to higher levels of intervention (Buffum et al., 2011). Tier 1 is the first intervention, which includes general classroom education. Tier II will be the second intervention, which will show any sufficient progress towards a predetermined goal. In Tier III, the final level, the students will receive more intense intervention to indicate readiness for specialized services. Tier I, II, and III represent primary, targeted, and intensive interventions, respectively.

Teachers who will assess the academic progress of the students to establish how they respond to supplemental interventions will bring collective capacity to the school, which will give more definite instruction. if progress monitoring is done more frequently, students will get the appropriate instructions more quickly. Using this model effectively will improve the school and increase student learning. This is because the model will provide a framework that is research-based to deliver high-quality interventions and instructions intended for needs of an individual student. Further, teachers will enhance their teaching and bridge the student’s achievement gaps with the acknowledged needs.

Question 3: An explanation of how the program supports students in meeting state content standards and can be used with district curriculum.

Answer: RTI program deals with how the states work to provide that additional support needed by students to close the learning gaps that they might have (Buffum et. al., 2011). State standards have high cognitive demands expected to put every student on a trajectory of being successful in career and college. These standards require the students to deeply study concept and skills as well as their application. As a result, schools must take responsive actions of robust, rigorous systems for students and teachers. This brings in the intervention of RTI program. The program is comprehensive and research-based and will allow schools and teachers identify learning gaps.in return, the students will be used to district curriculum designed to meet the needs of students with literacy underachievement. The RTI model of the district is then expanded to comprise other behavioral and academic subject areas.

Question 4: A sample of student assessment data from your school site needed to evaluate current learning needs of the student and give it a tiered intervention support.

The above data shows ranges of scare score by the level of performance and the median score between level 2 and 3. The performance levels identify the students who will receive academic intervention services. Those who will perform below the median scale score shall be considered for the service. Then, the decisions acquired from the data will then determine the students in need and place them in Tier II intervention.

Question 5: A description of appropriate technologies that could be used to assess and anticipate emerging initiatives and trends as they relate to student performance, tracking student progress, and providing differentiated instruction.

Answer: Teachers have limited time to integrate technology in a lesson plan. Therefore, they can co-plan lessons with colleagues in their classrooms or use professional learning networks on Twitter. Besides, they can use the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) model to assess the integration of technology through substitution, modification, augmentation, and redefinition (de la Rosa, 2018). Substitution involves the use of computers instead of papers, and websites such as Intervention Central can be used to identify interventions in the tiered model. A data management system can also be implemented to facilitate the use of the data. Differentiated instructions can be offered by Eco-behavioral Assessment System Software (EBASS) to carry out systematic observational assessments in a classroom with a notebook or laptop.

Question 6: As a principal, discuss the steps you would take to execute the program or any changes, including professional development for teachers, communication with parents, etc. Consider the current obstacles you might encounter as you implement these steps, and explain how you will manage uncertainty, risk, competing initiatives, and politics of change.

Answer: The delivery of an effective RTI program requires strong communication among the participants. As the principal, I will use the four c’s to engage all stakeholders (National Education Association, 2012). I will ensure that the teachers have direct and clear lines of communication with the parents, education specialists, administrators, psychologists, and community members. These stakeholders will need to fully understand the nature of the program and how decision-making around students is made successful through private interaction with parents and students. Secondly, I will ensure that professional development is well constructed to teach and renew the skills of new and existing teachers through modeling and mentoring. However, to cope with the challenge of uncertainty, progress monitoring will be done at the instructional level rather than grade level and altering the approaches and methods of assessment. Politics of change will be handled through collaboration across teaching personnel. The collaboration will be achieved by the structural organization of the tiered instructional process. Further, the problem of shifting the roles of school personnel will be solved by ensuring that the assigned person is responsible and enjoys the work. For example, a data specialist must be able to manage, maintain, and facilitate interpretation of data sources used for making decisions.

Question 7: A description of the program goals, including the data sources for evaluation that would show the goals are achieved.

Answer: One of the goals of the RTI program is to allow the school to intervene and help the students before they fall far behind. The program measures the skills of the student and decides the teaching intervention to use (Buffum et al., 2011). Another goal is to assist every student is to access the standards of grade-level in a program that is data-driven, standards-based, and responsive to the student’s needs. The third goal of the program is to provide a safe platform for at-risk students, some with learning disabilities. Several behavioral and academic student outcome can be the evaluate sources to determine the achievement of goals of the RTI program. For instance, an effective RTI model will give higher rates of proficiency on the state assessment, low rates of retention, lower rates of behavioral or discipline referrals, high rates of graduation, and lower rates of dropouts.

Question 8: A description of how the program supports the mission and vision of the school.

Answer: The mission of the school is to provide innovative services and quality resources to enrich and support academic success, while the vision is to “research your purpose” ("AboutUs/Mission", n.d. Libguides-gcu-edu.lopes). In supporting the mission, the school library connects people with resources that enrich their learning experience. RTI program supports this vision by monitoring individual’s responsiveness to strategically targeted inventions in the areas of wellness, academics, behavior, and overall connectedness. The data collected from universal screening provides additional support from which the decisions of short-term future are derived. Besides, the RTI program meets the demand of students by providing direct and focused instruction for addressing behavioral and academic domains. To support the vision, the RTI program utilizes four components of a research-based model, including screening, data-based decision making, and a multi-level tiered prevention system and progress monitoring.

References

AboutUS/Mission. Libguides-gcu-edu.lopes.idm.oclc.org. Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://libguides-gcu-edu.lopes.idm.oclc.org/AboutUs/Mission.

Buffum, A., Mattos, M., & Weber, C. (2011). Simplifying response to intervention: Four essential guiding principles. Solution Tree Press.

de la Rosa, S. (2018). New breed of educators finding purpose for all those devices and digital learning tools. Lopes.idm.oclc.org. Retrieved 29 July 2020, from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=128272194&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

National Education Association. (2012). Preparing 21st century students for a global society: An educator’s guide to the “Four Cs”. Alexandria, VA: National Education Association.